Where the push-ups aren't for pushovers

Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Cal State Northridge kinesiology graduate student Christopher Balam, right, leads a group in a cheer after an exercise session at Lanark Park in Canoga Park. Many of the class participants had never lifted a weight or jumped rope in their lives.

Cal State Northridge kinesiology graduate student Christopher Balam, right, leads a group in a cheer after an exercise session at Lanark Park in Canoga Park. Many of the class participants had never lifted a weight or jumped rope in their lives. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Steven Loy, left, an exercise physiologist who emphasizes more visibility for the field of kinesiology, helps Maria Rivera stretch properly during an exercise class led by Cal State Northridge students at Lanark Park in Canoga Park.

Steven Loy, left, an exercise physiologist who emphasizes more visibility for the field of kinesiology, helps Maria Rivera stretch properly during an exercise class led by Cal State Northridge students at Lanark Park in Canoga Park. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)